Riggs, RBR team battle to fifth-place finish at Martinsville

Going into Saturday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kroger 200 at Martinsville 200, Scott Riggs said he was just looking to just go out and have a little fun with the Ricky Benton Racing (RBR) Enterprises team.

"Like I said, I've been doing start and parks for the last year and a half," Riggs said, "so it was a blast to be able to go out and run a full race."

Of course, it did not hurt that Riggs brought the No. 92 BTS Tire and Wheel Distributors/fleetHQ.com Chevrolet Silverado home in fifth place in his first turn behind the wheel. It was the team's first top five since the 2011 NextEra 250 at Daytona.

"These guys worked so hard all weekend to get this truck better," Riggs said. "We were loose when we unloaded and then went a little too far on the adjustment after practice on Friday. But (crew chief) Dave (Fuge) and the guys kept making it better during the race and we kept moving forward."

Riggs started the race in the 23rd position and quickly began moving through the field once the green flag fell. After moving into the top 15 during the race's first 150 laps, the RBR crew helped Riggs crack the top 10 with a yellow-flag pit stop on lap 152. From there, the veteran driver deftly worked his way into the top five.

"It was getting rough out there with guys beating and leaning on each other," said Riggs. "My goal was to bring the truck home in one piece. There were a lot of guys that we were racing with that are contending for a championship and we weren't racing for points. I didn't want to get into someone and impact the battle for the championship."

Riggs was not only able to keep the truck pointed in the right direction and off of the competition, but he was able to pass a number of fast trucks between the numerous cautions that slowed the race's final quarter.

Owner Ricky Benton was overjoyed with that team's performance at Martinsville.

"I couldn't be more proud of these guys and what they did today," said Benton. "We don't have the biggest budget or the newest trucks and this year has been a struggle, but we've got a group of guys that work harder than anyone else out here. Scott drove a tremendous race, Dave made some great calls and the crew gave us some great stops. This really was a great team effort."

The RBR Enterprises team does not have any more NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events on their 2012 schedule and the 2013 slate will be determined by the team's ability to secure sponsorship.